Life, Music, and Ria (Ch2)
by Leonardo Jurado
Summary: Follow the life of David, a starting 19-year-old Pokemon Trainer, in his efforts to care for his eventual starter Pokemon, Ria the Ralts, and his attempts at being awesome in life. A simple tale of self-realization, self-discovery, and what it truly means to own a Pokemon, to love and to be successful. (cancelled)
1. Chapter 1

Life, Music, and Ria

By: Leonardo Jurado

Chapter 1

"I... want to have a Ralts... sir." I nervously said to the man on the other side of the counter, a psychologist who wore this drab-gray business attire, his brown eyes being backed by a pair of round spectacles.

I saw that his hands clenched together in a soft fist to support his head nonchalantly, yet when he heard the word 'Ralts' his gaze perked up and he started scanning me with a sterner look, "... A Ralts, Mr. Penchant?"

"Y.. Y-yes, sir," I tried to fake a cough to try to ease some of the nervousness that was building up in my chest before continuing, "a Ralts. I... figured that a Ralts would be an interesting Pokémon to have as a starter."

I think he noticed how nervous I was becoming, cause the next thing he gave me was an amused smile, and though his eyes were still scanning me, his tone of voice became somewhat softer and more casual, "Please, call me Dr. Fenton, or Fenton, if that's alright with you. No need to get so agitated over a simple Psychological Evaluation test."

He turned his head towards a nearby door for a second as it slowly opened, and a Gardevoir floated into the room, then closed the door behind her (I wasn't sure if the Gardevoir was a _she_, but I just quickly assumed by how gracefully she moved and that, admittedly, it's also the first time I've ever seen a Gardevoir up-close). She floated over to the doctor's side using her psychic power, and after Dr. Fenton and the Gardevoir exchanged a few nods as if greeting each other, the good doctor chuckled a bit before turning his eyes back to me, "No, David, you assumed wrong."

"Uh... what?" I looked at the doctor, confused by his sudden statement.

_'Your assumption that I was a woman was incorrect, Mr. Penchant_.' a soft, almost ethereal-sounding, yet slightly-annoyed male voice replied in my head. I was taken aback when I realized the Gardevoir had just read my mind, and what's worse, that he was actually a guy! Oh right, I read that Gardevoir were as equally likely as being a guy as they were a chick. It's understandable many people confused these Pokémon as women, considering the guys looked just as girly as their feminine-counterparts. Still, I felt I was being a genderly-biased jerk at that point.

… Wait a second... if he heard what I was saying in my head, then that meant-

"Oh, worry not, Mr. Penchant. I do not take offense at your assumptions. I am used to it."

Did that Gardevoir just suddenly speak to me in plain English?! Not only was he able to talk to me in my mind, but he could speak like a normal human too?! "Does that really surprise you, Mr. Penchant? I guess you have not had much interaction with Psychic-Pokémon, yes?"

I bowed shamefully at the Pokémon, "I'm... terribly sorry for that, Mr. Gardevoir, sir."

"Hahah, please my name is just Gary." The Gardevoir folded his arms and gave me a short snicker, "And, as I have stated before, I am used to being labeled such stereotypes. You are not the first person to think that I was a woman... and _thankfully_ are not one of those who have considered _capitalizing_ on it."

Eh... _capitalize_? You don't mean- "Yes... _THAT capitalize_." He responded with the distasteful, deadpan tone of a rotting-dead Zubat, and the mere thought of it sent shivers down my spine, "Although it _is_ amusing when I slowly tell them, in my very, _very_ male voice, that I am very, _very_ not interested. There are of course unspeakable exceptions... but I digress."

I couldn't help but smile at that statement: it helped calm my nerves somewhat, knowing that the good doctors could act so casually around their clients. A bit unprofessional, but at least now they have some semblance of humanity in them (if you considered a Pokémon a human, that is).

Dr. Fenton rolled his eyes, "Now now, Gary. I'm pretty sure that our client isn't interested in hearing us try and prove how much we've lost our faith in humanity. You're here for your Psychological Evaluation for your Trainer Registration, aren't you? Please follow Gary to the next room, and we'll proceed on with the test."

The nervousness quickly came back from the uncertainty of what the test would entail, but Gary simply gave me a short, friendly pat on the shoulder, "Worry not, Mr. Penchant. It is just like any other Final Test Exam in Secondary School." I reluctantly nodded to him, then stood up from my chair and followed him through the door he came from.

The next room was larger than the doctor's office, but only by much. It was organized in a classroom-like setting minus the blackboard: there were several tables and chairs lined up in an orderly fashion, facing towards this single large table on a platform that I assumed was where the proctor would sit. Despite no artificial lights turned on, it was still fairly bright due to the large glass windows on the left side of the room that shone sunlight through that Saturday afternoon of November. I also observed that the room was empty of other people, '_Yes, consider yourself lucky it is a slow day, I suppose._' Gary told me in my mind, '_You should see how long and frantic the line can get to Master Fenton's office during Registration Season._'

I followed Gary 'till he told me to take whichever seat I wanted for the test, and I decided on a chair closest to one of the windows. As I took my seat, the Gardevoir motioned through another door on the other side of the room, and shortly came back with a small stack of papers and several pencils that he carried using telekinesis. After letting the materials down on his table, he took a small bundle of papers which were stapled together and asked, '_Do you require a pencil, Mr. Penchant?_'

"Ah, no I brought my own pencil with me, thank you." I replied, since I knew not how to reply with my head, "I don't suppose... you also scan people's minds while they're taking the test?"

The Gardevoir only smiled in response as he sat on his chair and let the paper go, using his powers to float the test paper to my desk, '_The first page lists information and instructions you are required to follow. Simply answer the following questions honestly, and thoughtfully. Normally the test will take 3 hours per person, but for now you may answer as slowly as needed. Feel free to review any questions you have answered and rewrite the answers you deem inaccurate. The test is meant to gauge your overall psyche and current mental state of health. A good baseline would be to contemplate how you have been feeling these past few weeks..._

_'... You may now begin.'_ And with that, the Gardevoir leaned his cheek on a clenched fist, a look of boredom clearly outlined on his face.

I took out my pencil and began scanning the instructions-page on the front of the bundle: it was a multiple-choice test with a hundred-and-eighty questions, with five choices each, and you answered them on a separate answer sheet filled with numerous boxes you'd shade using the pencil. Seemed simple enough. I took the answer sheet and, after filling in my name, age, and other basic information, I turned the instructions-page over to get to the questionnaire, and began the test. So... rather than intrigue you with the excitement and valor of plundering the white boxes' virginity on my answer sheet for the next 3 hours, I'll go right ahead and give you a short intro of myself, and of my world.

My name is David Penchant, 19 years of age, debonaire and famous Pokémon Trainer extraordinaire... Oh, who am I kidding? I'm just your regular, average joe who hails from the fabulous Mauville City, Hoenn Region, currently applying to be a Pokémon Trainer. We have a family-run business of internet cafes generally known as _Penchant Cafe_: my parents are still managing the original branch back in Mauville, while my older brother's running a branch in Slateport, while I've been tasked to head the Petalburg branch.

… Or that _was_ the plan, anyway. Frankly, I kinda just got here: I've only been here since two days ago, and until I've opened up for business, I'll be staying in an inn. I spent the entire time yesterday roaming the streets, scouting about until I managed to find a couple of prospective sites: a large, one-story house just outside a large residential neighborhood's entrance, fairly close to a few schools and a cathedral; the other was slightly smaller in floor area, but it had two-stories, was across the entrance to a large university, and was close to several apartment-complexes and a grocery store. The latter site, though, was near another established internet café, _Adventure Cafe_, but I heard rumors it was currently under bad management and was starting to lose customers, so that empty lot might still be worth a shot.

As I came up to question #62 (I kinda forgot what it was, think it was about my father or something), I kinda spaced out a bit, and then looked out the window which overlooked Petalburg's streets, letting me think and re-clarify why I wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer in the first place.

For those not familiar with what Pokémon are, the term stands for Pocket Monsters, because these notable creatures can be stored as energy in these neat, pocket-sized spheres called Pokéballs, a recent human innovation, where they're basically put into active stasis (meaning they're conscious inside one, and can come out whenever they wished, and can even refuse to go in). Only Pokémon can be stored in Pokéballs, which makes 'em unique to _everything else_, so we can't use Pokéballs as alternative warehouses, _unfortunately_. Pokéballs _are _kinda hollow inside, though, so you _could_ store small stuff in them if you really wanted to... like your keys or something, _in addition to the Pokémon_.

... Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea: see if that thief won't think twice stealing your keys when a Pokémon suddenly beams out and woops his sorry butt!

Pokémon are unimaginably-powerful creatures that can either dish out as much firepower as a tank, or utilize powers that break the laws of physics... or even both! All Pokémon are born from eggs (even mammal-like Pokémon, strangely-enough), and many are just as sentient as you and me, if you educate 'em right (like Gary). People use 'em for various things: physical labor, transportation, entertainment, or just having a faithful companion, to heavy-duty stuff like electricity-generation, rescue work, police/military forces, weather forecasting/changing (some can change the weather to an extent), calamity predictions, almost everything revolves around Pokémon, even our technology and culture, and people who deal with Pokémon are called Pokémon Trainers... duh.

Now, before you go on ranting, 'How could humanity have survived, let alone live along creatures that are countless magnitudes more powerful than us pathetic humans, or that they've let themselves become _slaves_ to humanity?' Well, I'm here to tell you that it'd take a very, very, _very long _history lesson to explain, which I don't have the time, patience, mood **nor** incentive to tell you. Suffice to say, it's **not **slavery, and we're at a cultural level where humans and Pokémon live and coexist together. **Deal with it**.

Going back, at least not everyone can become a Pokémon Trainer. See, applying for Trainership's like getting a license for an exotic pet... except these pets can bend iron beams like rubber bands and shoot fireballs out their ass: gotta be voting age, no criminal record, have forms to fill up, things to clarify, money to pay for the _forms to fill up and things to clarify_,and tests to take to make sure you can handle caring for the Pokémon you want, particularly those with special needs... like the humble Ralts.

You see, Ralts are known as the _Feeling Pokémon_, and they're called such for a reason: those pair of red fins on their overly-large heads? (scientists call 'em horns, but for me they look like fins, so from from now on I'll call them as such) Those are specialized psychic-organs that sense the emotions and feelings of other creatures around them. Mind you, them fins don't _absorb_ feelings like an emotional black hole, leaving lifeless, unfeeling husks in their wake like some sort of horror-flick, nor do they _feed _on emotions like sustenance or something: it's passive for them, doesn't affect anyone but themselves, and they need normal food just like you and me. It's more like they're affected by other people's and Pokémon's mood. Feeling happy? Your Ralts becomes happy. Cheerful? You bet! Sad? Ughhh... You know what I mean.

Another fun fact: the more goody-good emotions they get (cheerfulness, bliss, ecstasy, etc.), the warmer they become. Good news is that all a trainer needs to do to have a happy, perpetual radiator for cold nights is to feed it and think happy thoughts. Seems simple enough, right?

Bad news is the opposite also happens when these white-skinned, helmet-haired, toddler-sized Pokémon absorb more bad vibes (anger, sadness, fear, etc.) than good ones... They become cold, sickly, unhealthy, frail and weak, their white skin becomes coarser and duller, body gets thinner and thinner and thinner to the point that they can't walk anymore, intense epilepsy, their green hair starts falling off their large heads like a cancer patient on chemotherapy, cough up blood, start hyperventilating as their lungs and other internal organs begin shutting down, start imploding into themselves since at that point they can't support their own density...

… aaaaaaaaaaand _then_ they die. Not even a trip to the Pokémon Center (the hospital-equivalent that's exclusively catered for Pokémon, usually government-funded) could counteract constant, long-term exposure to bad vibes. Makes you wonder if you can keep thinking happy thoughts when you realize that so much as missing your morning coffee could send you into a fit of rage that is harmful to the survival of your poor, fragile little Ralts. Oh, and that sound of your heart breaking when you read that previous paragraph? Yeah, that's poison to them. Go look at a puppy or something. _Unless_ you just jizzed your pants while reading that, then congratulations! You just proved to humanity that you are a sick sadist. But at least your Ralts will be _perfectly fine_!

It's the main reason the little munchkins are normally rare in the wild (Ralts flee from hostility and negativity in general), and why even seasoned Trainers consider them as an advanced Pokémon to train: they've been known to run away from people who feel miserable, heheh. I don't blame 'em, though. Do _you_ wanna die just cause your Trainer had too many bad days in a row? Didn't think so...

Doesn't answer why I'm becoming a Pokémon Trainer, or why I'm getting a Ralts, does it? But it _does_ explain why I need to take a Psychological Evaluation test: to see if I'm mentally fit enough to handle a Ralts tactfully and responsibly. Seems reasonable enough, right? Why give 'em to someone who, chances are, is suffering clinical depression? Problem is, long before I've even taken the test I've already known that I'm suffering from a mild case of that.

Growing up in Mauville, my parents were constantly busy. You'd think that running an internet cafe wouldn't entail such busyness, right? I mean, aside from when one of the computers suddenly don't work right (_then _things got interesting), all you'd normally do is observe your customers and wait until they're either finished using and come to pay, or wish to transfer to other computers that are closer to their buddies, right?

Frankly, that's mostly true. What's _really _made them busy is that my family's quite involved with the customers they serve, specifically the gamer-community: they're actually one of Mauville City's elite gaming teams, the **Hyperbolts**, proving once and for all that even the oldies could go toe-to-toe with the youngsters. In this day-and-age, being a master in all manner of computer games is akin to being a sports-star, especially in the online community.

And it's because they're avid gamers that they're even running the _Penchant Cafe_ in the first place: they _know_ first-hand what limits the power of a computer gamer's ability to win: it's first, and foremost, their hardware. That's why the _Penchant Cafe_ boasts some of the best and most advanced computer systems in all of Mauville, that some wonder if we're actually using military-grade computers and are being funded by the government, hahah!

It's one thing to have parents that everybody thinks is cool and awesome, but it's entirely another matter when you yourself aren't much of a gamer: strategy games, RPG's, first/third-person-shooters, you name it, I sucked. I mean, I don't _really_ suck, I manage just fine, but don't expect me to bring up the whole team when everybody's suddenly down for the count in a multiplayer match, because I can't. I just can't. I have no idea why, but no matter how much I've practiced in my spare time I could only reach above-average in skill. Maybe I was ham-handed, maybe Jirachi didn't give me any lucky charms when I was born, I just don't know why I did. Compared to others I was competent enough, but compared to my family I totally _sucked_.

I vividly remember my brother constantly beating me in whatever computer games we played, while my parents could only scratch their heads in frustration as to why their own flesh-and-blood couldn't learn from the masters themselves. It's heavily frustrating when your troops are prepped and ready to eliminate your brother's forces, only to have your army AND your _entire friggin' _**base** suddenly and systematically _eradicated_ by a nuke/ion cannon/insert-imbalanced-superweapon-here in one fell swoop, or when you get picked off by a cheap knife-stab in the back... for the 10th time in a row. And that's not counting when he's playing seriously, then you can't pop out to view your surroundings without immediately getting shot in the head a split-second later.

There were times when my parents got so engrossed with their gamer-lifestyle that they couldn't help me in my studies. I remember sitting in-between my parents' chairs for hours on end, holding both my math and history book in my stubby arms, watching them duke it out against other people online, waiting until they finished so that they could help me study; and though it was pretty cool when they won game after game after game, usually I'd fall asleep on the table because it had reached the early hours of morning, and they were _still _duking it out. I mean, I don't wanna make them sound like assholes who selfishly neglect their children: they were kinda sweet and supportive, but they just loved being gamers, you know? They were living the dream, the high-life, and they put all of their energy into it to the point that they were almost _unstoppable_.

In fact, I was proud to be their son... but what I wasn't proud of was _myself_, cause I soon realized I would never be able to catch up to their skill-levels. So I tried to be amazing in other areas: studies, sports, even helping around the _Penchant_, but somehow I screwed things up, one way or another. Studies soon became boring and tedious, I wasn't much good at sports either, while the times I tried to help around the cafe either led to mismatched orders, or BSOD (blue-screen-of-death, it's when the computer suddenly shits itself and the screen becomes evil, evil blue).

You could say I didn't know what I was truly good at, except at being _average_. I could manage just fine in the world, but I would neither be excessively-rich, nor miserably-poor. I was not particularly skilled at anything, nor did I particularly-_suck _at anything either. It was a frustrating scenario, and if people lost their hair whenever they scratched their heads trying to think, I'd have been bald a long time ago thinking of ways to escape this skill-related limbo.

And it's with this that I've grown somewhat depressed. Depressed with the fact that I was just so... so... _normal_,in a family that was _awesome_.Despite all the comforting and supportive words my family and friends have showered me with, I couldn't mimic their awesomeness, not even close. You could say I've developed this sort of inferiority complex: I really, really wished to be the best at _something. ANYTHING_. I hated failing, and was hungry for success, but the more failures I made the more depressed I got, and ironically the more depressed I got, the more I _failed_.

Now that you, dear reader, know why I'm depressed and (possibly, I'm not exactly sure) mentally unstable, you might be asking yourself, 'How, in your right mind, would you be able to take care of a Ralts, let alone _not let it die_?' Honestly, I don't know. But frankly, I've devised a plan... a plan that'll hopefully help me escape the catch-22 that was my miserable situation.

See, I'm not _totally_- and _hopelessly_-depressed. I just... lost my way in life. I still try to enjoy the good things in life, I know how to have a good time... I think? Does singing while doing air-guitar, naked while jumping up and down my bed count as having a good time? I don't know, but that's besides the point. I consciously know that my sadness is starting to reach critical levels, and I need to find the line where it all has to stop. I've tried many times to convince myself to stop beating myself up for even the slightest failure, but they've never worked, or at least they did till I failed _again_. I needed a more... indirect _direct_ approach. I needed a 'mirror' of sorts, an indicator of just how badly my depression was starting to kill my life, and how rewarding it would've been had I looked at the brighter side of things.

That's why I wanted- no... That's why I _needed_ a Ralts. Hence, why I'm even becoming a Pokémon Trainer in the first place.

It was when I had finished answering the questionnaire that I was gonna call Gary for what to do next, when I noticed he was looking straight at me with this eerily-large gaze, as if he was seeing a Magikarp suddenly charging-up for a Hyper Beam or something (note: Magikarp **CAN'T DO THAT**). He quickly averted his gaze, though, and faked a cough as he stood up and took the papers from my hands, "Did I... do something wrong, Mr. Gary?" I was genuinely worried what was making him act that way.

"Huh? Why no, Mr. Penchant. I was only impressed by how seriously you were taking the test." The Gardevoir soon escorted me out the room, and back to Dr. Fenton's office. He handed the questionnaire to the doctor, who then fed it into a strange scanner of sorts. When the paper came out the other side, Gary took it and handed it back to me, '_You may keep the paper as a keepsake, if you desire, Mr. Penchant. The answers are already saved on Master Fenton's database_.'

The doctor swiveled his chair to face his desktop computer, apparently inspecting my test results. After several minutes of what seemed like forever, he pulled back and leaned on his chair, then scratched his chin in thought before turning his eyes back to look at me, as if wondering how I would react to the words he was about to say, "... Well. The raw test results say that you aren't mentally fit enough to handle a Ralts, David. You have a perfectionist streak, and apparently don't take too well to failure and criticism, which can be harmful for a Ralts to have a Trainer who's suffering from insecurity and indecisiveness."

I was afraid of that. Already I could feel disappointment and embarrassment building up and eating away at my resolve, like a tidal wave crashing against a sand castle's walls. Did this meant I wasn't ready to train a Ralts? Did this mean my plan won't be coming to fruition? Even worse, am I forever doomed to being depressed all my life?

"... However." Gary continued from where the doctor left off, "You are not without hope, Mr. Penchant. Your depression is treatable by medications, and if you were given special... _incentives_."

"Incentives?"

"Being a Trainer's much like being a parent," Dr. Fenton smiled at me, "and while parenthood entails a lot of responsibility and maturity, it also brings out lots of joy in life. Sometimes people don't know how good a parent they are until they've experienced it for themselves. Ralts are considered an advanced Pokémon to train because Trainers have to be ready to shower them with lots of love and constant attention, which can be notably difficult, especially with chaotic or stressful lifestyles. But in practice, how their Ralts fare is simply a reflection of how their Trainers view their lives, positively, or negatively.

"Though you may be distraught by your past, you seem very eager to improve. Gary here has noticed how determined you are in escaping your depression, and how knowledgeable you are of the problem itself, which can be very helpful for solving it. I expect you'll have a rough start, but hopefully the Ralts you'll be having will eventually mirror your eagerness for a brighter future."

Wait... the Ralts I'll be having?

"Why yes, Mr. Penchant." Gary also makes a smile on his face, "Master Fenton has deemed it so that you may receive your Ralts, under certain conditions."

I have to admit, it was starting to get creepy, knowing Gary could just as easily hear what I was thinking in my head, '_... But I can tell you it is usually more simplistic on my part to communicate to you via sound, Mr. Penchant,_'

There Gary goes again, catching me off-guard! '_Reading minds requires that I undergo special training, where I learn to incorporate your various neural impulses and sensory data into my own, which can be... tiring, to put it simply. As well, I myself admit there are just some things not meant to be read, but I digress... again._'

The doctor typed in some things on his computer, and after a few moments a paper was printed out the scanner, which he then hands to me, "Here's a prescription of anti-depressants you should take whenever you feel intense episodes of sadness. Take them only when necessary, and at most once a month. Can't have you floating in the air while conversing with a Zangoose, only to wake up suddenly drinking water from a storm drain, just because you overdosed yourself, can we?" _Really_? That sounded a bit too specific, like it came from personal experience or something...

Dr. Fenton then looks at his assistant for a moment, before the Gardevoir suddenly looks shocked, turning to face him. For several moments they exchange looks as if they had entered into a heated, telepathic argument: Dr. Fenton seemed amused by what he was thinking, while Gary was apparently rubbing his forehead with frustration. When they looked like they had reached some form of reluctant consensus, Dr. Fenton turned his gaze back at me, "David..."

"Y-yes, Doctor?"

"I know a Ralts who might _just_ be the perfect candidate for you!"

"Huh? Really?"

The doctor adjusts his spectacles as he continued, "You see, Gary here has a sister who bore an egg, which later hatched into a Ralts. Apparently, the Trainer who trained his sibling wasn't interested in keeping the Ralts, so the poor thing is staying at the local Pokémon Center for the time."

Just some tips on the Ralts-line: **Gardevoir** are actually the adult-equivalent of **Ralts**, who evolve (colloquially-speaking, how we term growing-up for Pokémon) into **Kirlia**, the _puberty_-variant of the Ralts-line, who then finally evolve into **Gardevoir**.

I read that evolution's a spectacular event: the Pokémon suddenly glows like a LED bulb as their bodies undergo rapid changes that could be observed in minutes, sometimes in mere seconds. Not even scientists today can explain why Pokémon evolve, and the triggers for evolution can be just as diverse as there are Pokémon: depending on its' age, how much adrenaline's pumping in their system, radiation from special stones or electrical processes, the current time of day and season, even how happy and content the Pokémon's feeling at the time, and other things I might've forgotten to mention, could affect what the Pokémon evolves into, or if it even evolves in the first place.

"I advised Master Fenton that I would take her under my wing, but he _proposed_ I give my niece to you." Gary interrupted with a slight tinge of bitterness in his voice, "He calls the prospect of my niece's situation an amusing coincidence for you, which would allow you a greater chance of better... _sympathizing_ with her."

"Ehr... Are you... sure about this?" It didn't feel right to suddenly be entrusted with the welfare of someone else's relative from out-of-the-blue when I've only just recently met the guy, "I mean, she _is_ your niece, after all."

The Gardevoir let out a deep sigh, '_... Frankly, I share your concern, and do prefer she stayed here. Master Fenton is a well-off man who could easily fund for an additional Pokémon. But honestly, I am not much of a parent-type myself, while Master Fenton is actually fairly busy, even if he does not appear to be so._

_'After all, the location she is residing at is only temporary, and I fear she might be transferred to the nearest Day Care Center for adoption should she not be found a proper home anytime soon. Your arrival, as Master Fenton describes, is a fortuitous coincidence. I sense that you would be able to take care of my niece far better than both of us could, Mr. Penchant._'

"Well... not saying that I'm not honored, Mr. Gardevoir sir, but..." I scratched my head sheepishly, "I'm just worried if I suddenly screw up, and she gets sick or something. I don't want to get you upset, you know?" Who wouldn't? How would _you_ feel if you were entrusted with the care of a stranger's relative, and then she suddenly got sick, or lost, or got eaten by a pack of wild Poochyena while we strolled around in the park? How would _you_ explain that to her uncle? I don't wanna have to do something as drastic as _seppuku_!

"Your worry's understandable, David. But I have confidence you'll do fine. I do recommend, however, that you read up on a few Trainers' Manuals regarding the care of Ralts and their evolved forms, and that you shouldn't worry too much about it... But if taking care of Gary's niece seems too much for you, we're not forcing it on you."

"On a side-note, _if_ you do take her under your stead, you need not pay for buying a brand-new Pokémon and shelling out thousands of Pokédollars in the process." Gary's tone had a bit of reluctance to it, "All I ask from you in return is to visit us every week, or at _least_ write to us, just to let me... _us_ know how she is fairing under your care."

Well! That's actually a mighty-fine deal right there! Buying a Pokémon from the Breeding Center usually costs a **lot** of money, and I'm pretty sure the idea of caring for a brand-new Pokémon (especially one that gets sick when you're feeling sad) that would've cost me _a month's-worth of salary_ would not put my mind at ease. A 'free_'_ Pokémon, under the condition that I just had to let her visit her uncle once in a while, sounds like a very good option to consider. Keeping the Ralts healthy _was _the plan, anyway.

"We'll give you time to consider it. Such a decision as picking your starter isn't something to be rushed, of course! But for now, all you need to know is that you've passed the Psychological Evaluation test, and are one step closer to entering the world of Pokémon!" Dr. Fenton stood up from his chair and offered me a handshake, "Congratulations."

I replied the gesture with my own, but a thought quickly crept at the back of my mind, "Uh... I... _passed_ the test? I thought you told me I was mentally-unfit to handle a Ralts?"

"Technically, you are, but you've only failed by a small margin. As Gary told you before, your depression is manageable, and hopefully in the future you'll be able to succeed in allaying it.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself, David, and the medications will help greatly when things get rough. Problems like yours are to be examined on a case-by-case basis. If you have any problems in your life, please feel free to come by my office and tell us what's plaguing you. It's my job to help people find peace, and lead happy, fulfilling lives."

Well... can't say that I'm not happy about _passing_ the test, I just hope the good doctor's right in placing his confidence on me. On the other hand, perhaps I'm not being confident enough on myself. I came here to get a chance to prove my worth as an awesome Pokémon Trainer, dammit! Like hell I was going to let a measly test discourage me from getting my Pokémon.

On the other, _other_ hand... while I'm not _just yet_ a fully-licensed Pokémon Trainer until all the paperwork's eventually worked out, the pressure's already starting to dawn on me on how much responsibility owning a Pokémon could mean, not to mention the realm of possibilities that'll soon be opened to me in due time: it could be as bitter as having my Pokémon suddenly _dying _on me, or that _I_ get killed trying to befriend it... or it could be as sweet and fulfilling as having another companion to share my entire life with, complete with its ups and downs, sadness and joys, and a whole lot of other mushy stuff I'm not in the mood to iterate.

Still, there's a lot to do, lots to prepare, lots more to think about my Trainership, and all that's not considering I'm still trying to establish a new _Penchant Cafe_ branch here in Petalburg. I still need to conduct some studies on the locals' needs for internet cafe's, find more possible locations for setting up, contact the landowners of the plots I'd have found by then (or, if they're untitled, find out how much they're for sale), obtain permits from the local governing unit, co-formulate a business plan with my parents back home on how we should do this thing, and yeah... basically a _whole lot of stuff_ to complete before I'd even be able to open up a single computer unit. All this thinking is making me nervous, especially for someone like me, who wants to do things right the first time.

But you know what? While all this could be overwhelming, it's also ironically-invigorating that I'm about to start some sort of journey to greatness. Though I've got a _long_ and tiring road ahead of me, that road's gonna be full of excitement and potential awesomeness. Here I was, with my Arceus-given chance to finally realize my own greatness in front of me. And even if I'll likely fail in the most epically-miserable way possible, at least I'll fail fighting.

Wait, that didn't seem to sound right. Eh, doesn't matter, you get what I mean, "I'll think about it. When I finalize my registration for Trainership in a few days, maybe I'll come by the Pokémon Center and visit her. Does your niece have a name, Gary?"

"... Actually... no, she does not." The Gardevoir folds his arms just below his psychic-fin, "Well, not permanently, that is: Maria, my sister, desired that her daughter be called Ria, the short version of her own name, yet her Trainer perished the thought and had not entitled her a real name before entrusting her over to the Pokémon Center's stead.

"Technically there is nothing preventing you from calling her whatever name you desire, but I propose you retain Ria as was originally planned by her mother. When you do finalize your Trainership and have decided to care for my niece, upon arriving at the Center, simply motion to the Nurse and tell her that I have sent you."

Ria... simple, yet distinct. Sounds good enough for me, "Alright... Though I have to admit, and I don't mean to offend, but you kinda make your sister's Trainer sound like a jerk for leaving her like that."

The Gardevoir frowns in reply, "Master Jericho is a practical man, Mr. Penchant. He simply has not the time, nor the funds to care for an additional Pokémon. Although he appears harsh to other people, he is actually a fair and just man, worthy of being my sister's Trainer."

After exchanging a few more parting handshakes between Dr. Fenton and Gary, I left the doctor's office with a renewed vigor in my heart... I had the feeling today was gonna be the start of a new beginning, the start of a new chapter in my life towards _awesomeness_. Well, maybe not _really _about awesomeness (maybe stress is more like it), but at least it'll be something other than _normal_, I can tell you that.

Yup. The days ahead were going to be _far _from normal. I just hope I won't be regretting what I've wished for...

- End of Chapter 1 -


	2. Chapter 2

Life, Music, and Ria

By: Leonardo Jurado

Chapter 2

"... So. Inside that box is my Trainer's License?"

"Yep, and all the necessary things every budding Trainer needs to start his career." The receptionist places this small, red, rectangular metallic case on the desk, and he pushes it slowly towards me. The container had the distinct Pokéball-emblem in the center of its lid, the universal symbol of Pokémon Trainers everywhere.

I picked the case up and slowly opened it: inside was a pair of special red gloves (I wrote in my application that red was my favorite color), an ID with my picture in it, a small paper-cover handbook, a purple spray-bottle filled to the brim, and six miniaturized Pokéballs, "Inside you'll find your Trainer Card, your Pokétrons, a potion and half a dozen Pokéballs. The handbook's to teach you how to use the Pokétrons, while the Pokédex app in your Pokétrons should contain all the answers you need. As for the box, you can keep it. It's yours now."

"Alright, thank you, mister." putting the box inside my backpack and the ID into my wallet, I stepped aside to let the person next in line through.

After getting out of the registration office, I took my Trainer Card back out and began inspecting it: it was a greenish, plastic card that felt so light on my hand I first though it would easily break, but when I tried bending the ID it felt so stiff it felt like a block of metal. This must be what they called plasteel, the advanced polymer-material commonly used for heavy-duty stuff like riot shields. Considering that many Trainers' jobs were dangerous, it was justified to have their ID's built very sturdily.

At the front, the card had my details like my name, gender, date issued followed by my corresponding age, my picture on the top-right corner and my signature on the bottom. I'm glad the picture came out right: it would've been a _travesty_ had any piece of my short black hair, light-brown skin and oval-shaped face been out-of-place, while it would've been _embarrassing_ had my long nose and yellow-colored eyes been in any way warped during the development. I even had a Trainer ID number: 3-23924669. The backside, meanwhile, was just filled with the usual terms, notices and what-not. You know, the basics, like I'd have to renew my license every 6 months, the fee being 100,000 Pokédollars. Considering that a can of lemonade costs around 350 Pokédollars, the fee's still a good hole in my wallet, but it's manageable.

To be honest, I never really thought of becoming a Pokémon Trainer until recently. Maybe I'm underestimating myself again, or maybe I'm just having another slowpokish day, but it'll take time for me to get used to the idea that I'm now an official Pokémon Trainer. It all still feels a bit surreal, if you ask me.

Since the registration office was conveniently located within the city's PokéCenter, it was just a short trip to the medical wing so I could ask about Ria, the ralts. A couple minutes walking through the halls and a quick elevator ride later, and I was at the front desk of the PokéCenter Medical Wing. Faking a cough to get the drowsy-nurse's attention (maybe it was a slowpokish day after all), I started off by saying, "Hello! My name's David Penchant. Are you the one I should talk to about Ria? Gary, Dr. Fenton's gardevoir, sent me."

The nurse, a fair-skinned brunette with brown eyes and hair tied up in a neat bun, piques with interest upon my mention of Gary, "... Oh, you must be the new Trainer Gary mentioned a few days ago to take care of his niece. Strange you'd want a ralts as your starter Pokémon, considering their special needs. I'm Nurse Helga, one of the general nurses here, by the way, but you can call me Helga." she offers me her hand, and I replied politely with a handshake, "Are you here to get her now?"

"Well... I'd like to look at her first before I really decide. I just got my Trainer's License a few minutes ago, so I'm still not at all experienced when it comes to adopting a Pokémon, especially my very first one."

"Oh, don't worry too much about it!" She stands up and calls for another nurse to take over her shift before continuing, "The paperwork for getting the Pokémon's not as extensive as getting the license itself. Besides, Ria's been peachy so far, what with me taking care of her for the time being." She gestures me to follow her through the back door, so I followed close behind her.

As we continued down the hallways I noticed that Helga's pink uniform skirt was shorter than the rest of the other nurses': hers only reached down half her thigh while the others were knee-long, "Uhm... Helga? Your skirt, isn't it...?"

"Oh, you noticed?" She looks at me with a sheepish grin, "Yeah, I know it's kinda short, but it's mostly because the air-conditioning here just doesn't cut it. I come from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh, and since it never stops snowing there I've gotten comfortable in the cold. I asked management if they could at least lower the thermostat a couple degrees, but they said it's already _freezingly-frigid_ here! Freezingly-frigid, my **ass**!" Her tone quickly turns snappish as she went on, "Freezingly-frigid's when you throw a ball of water at someone, which then knocks him out cold by the time it gets to him cause it'd have already hardened into an ice ball by then, and that happens during winter back where I come from! I don't know how you Hoenners live with this tropical heat!" She tugs at her shirt-collar a little loose to make a point as she sighs to herself.

"Whoa, that sounds rough! Is Sinnoh really that cold? I've never seen snow up-close before, only on games and on the internet, so I wouldn't know."

"Nah. Only Snowpoint's cold enough to make that possible. The rest of Sinnoh is alright. Summer in Snowpoint's not so bad, either: snow still keeps falling down, but only slowly, making the place look like it's raining diamond dust," She pauses for a moment as she began smiling contentedly to herself, "We get a lot of tourists and young couples on their honeymoons during summer. It can get pretty lively there in the summer months, I can assure you."

Call me paranoid, but I couldn't help but feel she was subtly trying to make a move on me. She didn't look too bad herself, especially with that skirt. Eh, might as well entertain her a bit, "That sounds nice. Maybe next summer we could go to your hometown, and you could show me around the place."

I didn't get a reply immediately. She stayed silent for several moments, as if trying to digest what I had just said, and maybe implied. Thankfully, she replies back with a chuckle, "I'll think about it." Eh, it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

A couple minutes more of walking later, and we stop outside a specific door, "Here's where Ria's been staying the whole time. Are you feeling happy right now?"

Oh, right... I just remembered that people's emotions deeply affect ralts, "Well, that talk we had as we walked here's had me feeling a little better, so yeah. I guess I'm happy enough for now." I gave Helga a quick grin.

She replies with a larger grin of her own, "That's good! Alright, I'll come in first to check if she's asleep or not." She opens the door slowly, and quickly disappears through the darkness within. I wait a few minutes before the door opens again, seeing the room was now well-lit, and Helga's head pops out shortly, "Ria's ready to see you, you can come in now. Just try not to do any sudden movements. She's a jumpy sort."

I nodded as I stepped slowly into the room. It was fairly simple inside: just a bed, a table, a couple of chairs and a TV mounted on one corner of the room. Sitting on one of the chairs was Helga, and on the edge of the bed there sat the ralts, who was obviously Ria. Duh. Looks like ralts were smaller than I imagined: she measured no taller than my knee, and her overly-large head and psychic fins comprised half her height. Her stubby, fingerless arms were clasped together on her fat, _skirt_-looking legs while her head was turned to me with an open, wondering mouth. I know I read that the ralts' green, bowl-cut hair covered their eyes to a degree, but damn! It made her look as if her eyes were non-existent!

As I slowly approached her she continued to 'look' at me as if I was the first human boy she's ever seen before in her life. It made me a little cautious, in addition to Helga's advice not to startle her, but I tried my best to suppress those emotions inside. Besides, there's something that I've always wanted to do with a Pokémon, but I never got the chance to do so, "Hi, Ria... My name is David. David Penchant. Do you... understand me?" When I got close enough I offered my hand for a handshake to her, see if she knew how to do that at least.

She riled back a bit from my hand, but quickly comes back to inspect it with a curious stare. She looks at it for a few moments, then to my face, then back to my hand, and she cautiously lifts one of her arms for the handshake. Well now! She either understands what I'm saying, or at least knows how a handshake works. I decided not to rush it, and let her place her tiny arm in the middle of my comparatively-gigantic palm on her own.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how smooth her pale-white skin felt as I wrapped my fingers on her hand: it had the consistency of high-quality silcoon silk, and as I shook her hand I couldn't help but run my thumb across the rest of her arm, which made her giggle a bit, "Wow. Your skin... It's so... **soft**." In fact, her skin felt so awesome she smiled at me and quickly grew warm to the touch, indicating the emotions I felt were really positive.

But when we finished the handshake what I said next came out of my mouth before they had even fully formed into a coherent sentence in my head, "Can I... feel your face?" My ears torched with embarrassment when I realized what I just said, and even the ralts felt the backlash from that. Fortunately, she seemed stronger and more patient than I thought, because right afterward she stands up on the bed and turns her cheek to me.

It's one thing finding out that your starter understood you (which was awesome in itself, saves me having to teach her how to understand basic English), but seeing her turn her cheek to me like that, well... It was... It felt _gratifying_, to put it simply. I had just met her, and I was fully expecting that forming a bond would be a big challenge, but only a few minutes into our meeting, and she was being trusting enough to let my ogrish hand near her delicate, fragile face.

I only hesitated for a moment, trying to process all the emotions that were running through my head: the awkwardness, the happiness, all of it, but I quickly made up my mind and moved my hand to her side, and the ralts in turn gave my hand a small hug with her cute, little arms, "Heeer haaah." She smiles warmly to me as she purred in the usual way that ralts do. Looks like she knows English, but still hasn't had practice in speaking it yet. But that was besides the point.

Oh, her heavenly-feeling skin, coupled with her soothing warmth and her arms almost covering the rest of my hand in a loving embrace, all of it felt sooooo _good_, it was almost indescribable. The best comparison I could ever give you, dear reader, is like I was feeling the younger version of my mother's own cheek on a cold, winter evening, or maybe the suppleness of a newborn baby's butt. Hey, don't judge me! I know I kinda looked awkward there, as if I was feeling up my Pokémon in a creepy-stalker-sort of way, but it was the first time I've ever felt a Pokémon up-close, and I have to admit it felt way more awesome than I could ever imagine. Besides, she liked how happy I was, which was really important for a Pokémon whose health depended mostly on the mood of her trainer, and of other people within her vicinity.

"Seems like she's taken a liking to you, Mr. Penchant. But I never expected you to be really good at getting her to like you so quickly." the nurse giggles to herself.

"What kind of soulless prick would be able to resist this kind of skin? Had I known it'd feel this good, I would've become a trainer sooner! … or at least pay excessive amounts of dough to make a pillow that imitated this awesomeness." I laughed a bit, because what I said was the truth: her skin felt so smooth it rivaled the best luxury pillows I could ever think of. I then moved my hand to feel the rest of her head: her hair felt as soft as a pampered superstar's re-bonded hairdo, while her psychic-fins were stiff, but were just as smooth as a newly-waxed car. So this is what it's like to have a perfectly-healthy ralts... I could get used to this, heheheh. I dread the day she would be in a less-than-healthy state...

Oh dear! My thoughts must've been clear to her, cause she immediately stopped her hug and backed away a bit. Me and my pessimistic brain. I shook my head, trying to perish those grim thoughts, then softly spoke to her, "Hey... Sorry for that. I know I'm still getting used to this Trainer-stuff, and I might blunder a bit at first, but I promise to try my best at it. You are my starter, after all." That got her to pause, at least. Oh well, better than nothing.

There were several questions I still needed answering, so I turned to Helga and asked, "Were you the one who taught her how to understand English? How come she can't speak it yet?"

"She already knew English by the time I got her. Must've been taught by her parents a while back. As for her unable to speak yet, she's still a baby, so it'll take some time and practice to get her to speak."

I sat on the bed and looked at the little ralts: she gave me another blank stare, probably thinking about what I'll do next, "Ria... That's the name your mother gave you, right?" The little ralts nods briefly to me, "Well, do you like the name?" She turns her head to the side as if contemplating something for a few moments, then she looks back and nods with a smile, "Alright then. Ria it is!"

"Haahh!" the ralts, who was now officially named Ria, squeaks happily in reply.

"So Helga," I turned back to the nurse, "I read the basics on ralts care, but is there anything else I should know about Ria in particular? Does she have any favorites, like food and toys? Since there's a TV here, does she have a favorite show she watches in particular?"

"Well... She likes spicy food, nachos with chili-dip specifically. Surprisingly, she doesn't watch TV. Instead, she just sits there on the bed, doing nothing. Maybe she loves to meditate or think deeply, or maybe she just loves to stare at blank space for hours on end. I'm guessing she's of a lonely-nature, so you'll have to give her a little more attention than the average ralts. One thing she does hate is being in a Pokéball for too long, so you may have to carry her on your shoulder if you're going around town."

"That so? Eh, I don't mind. Having a companion to talk to while I do my job seems like a great idea, don't you think so, Ria?" I turn to the ralts, who does a quick nod in response.

"Another important thing you should know is that she's very inquisitive: if she finds something new or exciting to her, she'll try to bolt any chance she gets and investigatei it, so try to keep an eye on her at all times. Thankfully, or unfortunately if you're planning to battle-train her, she's not quick enough yet, so she probably won't get too far if you manage to lose her. Also, being a lonely-type she's easier to bruise, so be more gentle with her, okay?"

I tried to make a mental summary of everything going so far, using my fingers to count down the details, "So... spicy foods, loves to think, but needs more attention, hates being in Pokéballs, loves to explore, but hopefully won't get too far, and a little more fragile? Anything else I didn't cover?"

A frown starts developing on Helga's face as the nurse rubs her chin with a finger while thinking, "Uhm... Could we go outside for a moment?" Even Ria quickly turns her head to look at Helga, but the nurse quickly smiles when she notices, "Oh, Ria. You won't mind if I talked with David privately for a moment?"

"What's the matter, Nurse Helga? Something wrong?"

"Just... Come with me." and with that we both left Ria back on the bed and exited the room. After closing the door behind her, Helga starts off by saying, "Sorry... I didn't mean to feel sad back there, but I'm not sure if you'll like to hear this, considering it'll make you feel sorry around her. But it's something you should really know if you're going to push through with this." She turns her head towards me with this sad look in her face.

I raised my eyebrow from looking at her face, "Why? Did something happen to Ria?"

She scratches the back of her head with her hand before continuing, "It's... It's about her parents. Ria would try to hide it, but she actually misses her mother badly and longs to see her father."

"Well, that's understandable, and I'm actually hoping to one day have her see her parents if I had the time and if they were in town. I even promised Gary I'd come with Ria to visit him from time-to-time."

Helga lets down her hand and looks at me with a shocked stare, "... You don't know, do you? Gary didn't tell you what happened to Jericho?"

"Ehr... no? All Gary told me about Jericho was that he didn't have the time nor money to handle another... Pokémon."

The look on Helga's face heavily implied that I wasn't gonna like what she was gonna say next, "I'm actually Jericho's go-to nurse here at the center. He used to come here every day or so to treat his Pokémon, and they usually come to me with some nasty cuts and bruises, especially Ria's parents, Maria the gardevoir and Santiago the wobbuffet. I asked Jericho and his friends what he did for a living, and they told me he's one of Professor Birch's field assistants stationed here in Petalburg." My heart sank a bit on hearing how she and Jericho had some history together. Great. Juuuust _great_.

… But sadly, there was more, "... But two weeks ago he handed Ria over to me, who was two weeks old at the time, and he asked if I could take care of her as he went on some place that's remote. He didn't tell me where, but all he said was he would be coming back in a week. It's been a week since he was scheduled to come back, and he still hasn't returned, and that's gotten me worried. Gary wouldn't tell you unless you asked him about it, but he often stays in touch with Maria, his sister, so I asked him if he knew where Maria was, but all he knew was that they went to some mountains west of Lilycove to investigate something." And the mystery thickens...

She leans her back on the wall, breathing a sigh to herself, "Honestly, I was hoping you'd never come. If Gary really sent you here, then that means he's already given up hope on Jericho coming back..." She then looks at me with this determined, yet upset face, "But I haven't given up hope yet."

I was caught off-guard when she starts pointing her finger at me in an accusatory tone, "Like hell I'm letting you take Ria away before Jericho comes back. I'm not giving up on him yet. I'm not, you hear?!"

**Well.** This was getting awkward really fast. I seem to have accidentally gotten myself involved in a tragedy-in-the-making, and now the hot nurse was giving me the exorcist-treatment. I _knew_ there was a catch to that doctor's offer, and now I'm stuck here in the middle of the point of no return. What a way to start off my Pokémon career, eh? Well, I did say I wanted an adventure that's far from normal, but I never expected Lady Luck to be in the mood to give me a hand that's full of bullshit, "I'm sorry! I never knew any of this, but it's not my fault, alright? I didn't mean to steal Ria from her rightful owner before he's even been confirmed missing. Also, to be fair, it was Gary's Trainer, Dr. Fenton, who told me about Ria in the first place, while Gary himself was reluctant to reveal more."

The nurse pauses a bit before lowering her arm, calming down, "I know... I'm sorry too for being a little brash back there. You didn't deserve it. I'm just... tired from worrying about Ria, _pissed_ that Gary's Trainer would do something like this so hastily, and stressed about all this _friggin_' Hoenn **heat**!" I couldn't help but laugh a bit from that remark as she readjusts her shirt collar again.

She takes a handkerchief from one of her skirt-pockets, and wipes away the excess sweat from her neck, "Look. I intended to take care of Ria myself, but I'm not even a licensed Trainer, nor is my salary enough to cover the costs of buying and maintaining Trainership. If Jericho still isn't coming back, in a few days I'll be forced to take her to the Pokémon daycare. Which'll be _bad_."

"Why? What's wrong with the daycare? In fact, why'd Jericho leave Ria with you instead of the daycare? Surely they'd be better equipped to care of her than a nurse on a tight budget?"

"He told me he left Maria once at the daycare when she was still a kirlia, but then she got into a large fight with the other Pokémon there. Those rarely happen, but an incident's an incident, so he's never taken his Pokémon back there again. He made me promise not to take her there, but under the circumstances I might not have much of a choice if I want to keep my job. Keeping Ria here's not exactly _legal_, you know."

"Well... Uhm..." I also leaned on the wall as I continued, "I guess I can take care of her for you, but I don't want to worry you, so is it alright with you if I make her my starter until Jericho comes back?"

She thinks for several moments before replying, "You... You seem like an okay guy, and you managed to get her to like you on the first meeting, but I gotta ask: ralts are kinda tricky to have around, what with their literal emotional dependency. Just what are you planning to do once you get her?"

"Me? Well, uhm..." I stared blankly in front of me, for what I was going to say next was never easy, "Honestly, I'm having some problems of my own. I'm starting to lose my way, and I figured that because ralts were a good reflection of their Trainer's psyche, she'd be able to become my emotional 'mirror' of sorts, and by taking care of her I'd be taking care of myself indirectly."

I don't know if it was something I said, or how I said it, or maybe I was more naive at the time, but the nurse turned her head to the floor before replying, "So..." then her hand starts clenching into this tight fist, "... Your plan is to use a poor little ralts who's at a high risk of being an **orphan** into you pathetic little **therapy subject**?! **GET OUT OF HERE!**"

"Hey! Let me expla-"

"Ria isn't your cheap, prissy little mood ring! She deserves better than you, **loser**!"

**Owww!** **Damn**, that hurt like a horn drill through the _gut_! I mean, I know I often get called a loser by my brother and other people who I can't beat, so I'm usually used to it, but being called that by a hot chick in a skimpy nurse gown I just recently met? _Man_, that was a whole new level of low, "That was uncalled for! **You take that back!**"

"Why shou- What the hell? **Ria**, what're you doing out here?!" I quickly turned my gaze to the now-open door, and there she was: Ria, the petrified ralts, her mouth covered by both her arms in obvious shock, "Oh Ria, I didn't mean to have you hear all that." Damn, she was a good ninja, I'll give her that.

Still standing there without any hint of movement, from the rims of her bowl-cut hair streams of tears started flowing down the sides of her face as she tries in vain to stifle her sobbing, I asked, "R... Ria. How long were you listening to us?"

What happened next broke my heart so badly I still have guilt-trips about it on occasion: without warning she rushes to me, clings to my shin then buries her head and just breaks down into bitter crying right then and there. I could feel her watery tears seeping through my pants while her constant sobbing didn't just sound sad: it was like listening to a banshee screaming in a dark, empty cave, and it was so eerie it sent shivers down my spine. It was the first time I ever saw a Pokémon become a sobering wreck, but this wasn't gonna be the last, and this certainly wasn't gonna be the worst in my entire Trainer career.

I let the poor thing cling to my leg for dear life, only bending my knee to get closer to her, "Ria... Hey, it's okay. You parents are probably just late, alright? They'll come back, Ria... They'll come back." I put my hand over her cheek, and tried to rub away the tears from her eyes (which I admit was challenging, because I had to rely on touch alone to avoid poking her eyes out), her soft, silky skin made bitter from the river that flowed between my hand and her face. In response, she places one arm on my hand and caresses it with her cheek, but at least my actions got her sobbing to subside a bit.

And you know what? It got me thinking: what if this current situation, this.. bitter crying. Was this ralts really my reflection? Did I truly stray from my way so badly I've inwardly-reduced myself to a broken bird? Was this ralts really the culmination of all the sadness, all the guilt, all the loses I've gained and kept, instead of forgiven and let go? The naivety of a child, now exposed to the harsh realities of life?

… Or perhaps I'm just over-thinking things again. We've only reached Chapter 2 of the story, and here I was already philosophizing whether or not fate had brought us, trainer and Pokémon, together. For all I knew, you probably didn't give enough damn about me yet, so might as well continue with the story, yes?

One thing that I also wondered about Ria was that I still haven't yet seen her eyes up-close, being covered by her hair and all. So I used my hand to lift her head to look at me, then I motioned the other hand to sweep her hair aside. That's when I first saw them: these two extremely-large, oval-shaped eyes that her irises tinted blood-red. They glistened slightly from her watery tears, and below them her cheeks were blushing madly-red. She looked so broken, so sad, and yet... despite the bitterness, she looked so cute, like looking at a 5-year-old albino kid without a nose.

It was gut-wrenching to see her this way, so I looked her straight in the eye, gave her my best smile, and coughed up whatever cheesy phrases I could think of from the top of my head, "Looks like both of us have our own major problems to deal with. Why don't we help each other out?" Her sobbing pauses for a bit as I continued, "Right! I could try to help you find your parents, maybe help them come back home. That's the least I can do, if you'll let me be your Trainer. All I ask is you keep me company, and snap me out of any harmful thoughts. Simple, right?"

As I went on her sobbing eventually stops, so I decided to push on with it, "I'm only planning to open up and run an internet café, nothing dangerous or death-defying there, and I live by myself in an inn. You'll feel safe staying with me, while we either wait for your parents to come pick you up, or we can plan on how to tell your parents you've been a good girl for waiting so patiently for them."

"Haahh?" she bends her head to one side as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Of course! Maybe they just got caught up in work, and haven't been able to contact you. I'm sure that... wherever they are, they probably miss you a lot too. I know my parents miss me too back in Mauville. The least we can do is try to contact them, tell them how much you love them, right?" I paused and just went on smiling, cause frankly I ran out of things to say, which was very embarrassing. But I meant every word I said, or at least I tried to internalize what I just said, so that she'd know my intentions were true.

Thankfully, the silence didn't last long. I could tell Ria began to see something in me, something special, cause her eyes grew wide with this fiery new spirit, and a large, open smile began forming on her tiny lips. The next thing surprised me a bit: she closes her eyes and gives my face this large embrace, and I could feel her purring as she rubbed her cheeks against mine. It was a touchy moment for all of us: even Helga was forming a twinge of guilt on that smug face of hers.

When Ria finally broke off the hug, both of us felt a lot better than before, and we both knew it. Maybe I _was_ cut out to a trainer after all, but... there was just one last hurdle I had to deal with. I turned to face the nurse, who had been standing silent there the whole time, "So... If it's alright, I can take care of Ria for you. I promise to come by often, or at least contact you every now and then. I'll keep her safe and healthy, which was kinda the plan in the first place anyway."

She hesitates from replying, "Oh c'mon, Helga. You know you can't keep Ria here, and you certainly can't take Ria to the daycare center because you'd be breaking Jericho's promise. Besides, I still need your help to find out more about the guy. You're the closest one to him that I know of. I can try to contact my relatives in Mauville and Slateport, see if they've heard of Jericho at all, or they could call a few contacts of theirs to find out more."

She looks at Ria, who was also giving the nurse the puppy-eyes look, then she turns away from us. But eventually she replies in a hurt tone, "Ria's already made up her mind. Why need my persmission?"

"Hey.. Don't be like that, Nurse Helga. You're still her godmother in a way, so of course I need your blessing. And I bet Ria would want her godmother happy for her too."

The nurse pauses for several moments before turning her head back to me. She sighs tiredly as she said, "Oh... Alright then. But you getter be a man of your word, Mr. Penchant, or I'll be-"

It was plain as day that Helga still felt sore about this that I didn't have to tell you Ria began to shiver, so the nurse reluctantly toned her voice down a notch, "I'm sorry, Ria. I just worry about you, alright? I don't mean to be upset, I just want what's best for you. You're the only thing left of Jericho, and..."

Wow. She really missed him that much? Well that shot down every chance I had with her. That _sucks_, but who am I to judge? But more importantly, she still had contempt in her voice and Ria still continued shivering, so the nurse shook her head and started again, this time in a cheery voice, "Yeesh! Alright already! You're right, Ria. I'm being selfish.

"Very well, Mr. Penchant. I'll let you take care of Ria. You have my blessing, for whatever it's worth... Ew, saying that makes me feel kinda _old_, hahah!"

The little ralts squeals with joy from Helga's simple affirmation, which made me chuckle a bit. Did I really make that much of an impact on Ria? I mean, I know it's an honor that she accepted me and all, but I just hope that I'm strong enough to live up to all that hype I said...

… But then I felt a tug on my pants, and found the pulling came from Ria, who was now sporting another frown, "Heerr!"

Did she just try to snap me out of my thoughts? Damn, I really have to watch my soliloquies from now on, "Oh, sorry about that, and thanks for telling me! As I said, I'm still new to this trainer-life, so please bear with me a bit if I begin doubting myself, alright?"

"Haahh!" she gives me another squeak and points both her arms at me. I quickly understood what she meant, so I picked her up and put her on my right shoulder, "haaahhh!"

"Well, that could work. 'Heerr' for bad thoughts, 'haahh' for good ones. We'll use that system until I get to teach you how to speak properly, alright?"

"Haahhrit!" and she gives me a quick hug on the neck. Did she just try to say 'alright'? Huh, seems like she's also a quick learner, but the word still needed a lot of refinement. Still, at least it was a start.

"C'mon, you two. We'll head to the offices to finalize your transfer, Ria." The nurse tugs at her collar again as she heads down the hallway towards the medical administrative wing, with I and my about-to-be starter Pokémon following close behind.

- End of Chapter 2 -


End file.
